2018 end of year releases

Thursday, 30 May 2013

You've seen our new logo, right? Well let me tell you I had a hell of time getting it there as the blog team can attest to.

Why?

Here are the DarkSide DownUnder, things are not completely dark despite the name. We have members who write stories that are on the lighter side. I know my flash fiction tends to be this way. We also write a wide range of fiction - from epic fantasy, futuristic, paranormal romance, YA, historical romance, urban fantasy, dark urban fantasy, erotic romance, and much more. Trying to reflect all this in the logo was a bit tough going.

I knew my initial designs weren't quite right and with the blog team's feedback, this was confirmed.

One day sitting in a waiting room (which I do a lot of), I came up with a variation on the final design. I thought of hearts representing the romance; the angel heart for the 'light side' as well as the stories with angels and magic; the devilish heart for the 'darker side' as well as stories with demons and vampires and other creatures that go bump in the night; the moon representing all facets of spec fiction really; and being Aussie and NZ authors, the Southern Cross, which has the duel meaning of sci-fi and mystique.

Phew, not much too think about, eh?

After a first mock up on the computer, there was positive reaction except for the positioning of the moon (it was horizontal and looked like a big smiley face). I then changed the position of this and of the hearts and the rest as they say is history.

As much as I loved our previous logo, which did have various elements, the lighter side was missing. So now, I'm happy that our new logo represents the DarkSiders so much better.

Eleni Konstantine also designs book covers and banners for writers as HelzKat Designs. She is currently studying graphic design at TAFE, and has set up a number of blogs/websites and has given talks on the subject of blogging and navigating in the online world.

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Would you jump at a chance or three to win a box full of these sorts of books?

Who, what, where, when and how can I win? - I hear you cry!

Well,
9 Aussie paranormal romance authors have banded together and each have
donated books and swag from their latest series to go into the Aussie Author Giveaway - three huge giveaway packages which will be on display at some of the specialty romance bookstores here in Australia.

Rendezvous Books (Victoria) will host the first box of goodies and the giveaway will run the entire month of June 2013.

The third box of giveaway-fun will be with Galaxy Books (Sydney) over August 2013.

All
readers have to do is order a book (or books) from these stores in the
designated giveaway month - either in person or online. You'll earn one
entry per purchase in the Giveaway. The prize winner will be drawn at the end of the month and the Aussie Author Giveaway box of goodies will be posted to you.

NB. Due to postage costs, entry is restricted to Australian readers.

So,
come on Aussies, come on! Support your specialty romance bookstores,
get to know some local Aussie authors - and you could find a huge parcel
of books in your mailbox at the end of June, July or August!

Dakota Harrison's debut book, Exhale (from Samhain), is available for pre-order from Amazon! It releases July 30th, 2013.

She is the one dream that never had a chance to come true…until now. Takeshi
is finishing up a brutal double shift in the ER when a familiar—and
bloody—face erases all thought of heading home. The broken body of the
woman fighting for her life belongs to Gabby, his best friend’s mother. A
woman he has rarely seen since he turned nineteen and foolishly
declared his love for her. She’s not dying today. Not on his watch. And not with a promise left unfulfilled. Gabby
has never forgotten the taste of the kiss Taka gave her under the
mistletoe all those years ago. Or the silly promise that surely by now
he’s forgotten. She’s wrong. Taka remembers. And she melts as he uses
every trick in his highly trained surgeon’s hands to heal her—and
rekindle the heat between them. But there’s a secret lurking in
Gabby’s past. And when it follows her all the way to Seattle, it
threatens to drag the one man she loves into the nightmare she thought
she’d left behind.
Warning: Contains a reluctant cougar
heroine with a planeload of emotional baggage, a hot Asian surgeon who
knows how to kiss it and make it better, and smoking-hot love scenes
that’ll give you a new appreciation for the tenacity of younger men.

Adina West has two 1 June releases, Dark Child Episode 5, the final episode of this serialised novel, and the Dark Child Omnibus which collects all five episodes in one volume. Perfect for fans of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, this intriguing urban fantasy follows the story of Kat Chanter, who discovers that the world she knows is controlled by ancient creatures who feed on blood. And she might just be one of them ...

Lately things have been getting weird for pathology technician Kat Chanter. She's been craving raw meat, and having dreams so realistic they're scary. When she accepts a job offer from the prestigious Hema Castus Research Institute, she hopes she'll have the chance to discover what's wrong with her, but instead, her move to New York thrusts her headlong into a treacherous hidden world, where the wrong move could be fatal . . .Tarot, witchcraft and astrology all take on a frightening resonance in Dark Child's richly imagined alternative reality where vampiric beings live among us, hidden by magic. Dark romance tangles with paranormal fantasy and page-turning suspense in this enthralling tale of 'dark child' Kat Chanter, half-human and half-vampire, who has woken an ancient prophecy and must face a formidable destiny.(Dark Child was originally released in serial form. You can read part one for just 99c by searching for Dark Child: Episode 1.)

REVIEWS

Christina Phillips has received a 4 Star review from Riverina Romantics for Betrayed.

"I enjoyed this story and the characters very much. There were even a few surprises that I didn’t see coming. Tacitus was so sweet and honorable. It is impossible to not love him. Nimue is just as honorable and is driven by not only her beliefs, but my magic itself. The way this couple learns to navigate one another and deal with the attraction that could be their very ruin was frustrating in so many ways. I can’t imagine how they must have felt."

Dark Sider Bec McMaster continues her cyber-touring to promote Heart of Iron. You can find her visiting the following blogs:24th May - Supernatural Smackdown at Dark Faerie Tales - international giveaway of Kiss of Steel and Heart of Iron, plus Tim Tams! Vote for Will here!28th May - Mindful Musing - "Why does steampunk appeal to so many readers?" There will be a giveaway of Kiss of Steel.29th May - Awesomesauce Book Club - "What do I like most about steampunk?" Another giveaway of Kiss of Steel.30th May - Literary Escapism - An interview and Kiss of Steel givewaway!

Kylie Griffin, Cathryn Hein and Karly Lane had a lovely time in Taree this week as guests of the Taree Regional Library on the "Queens of Heart" author panel.

Kylie, Cathryn & Karly

Those who attended asked some great
questions and were genuinely intrigued by the various aspects of the
publishing process, particularly the comparison between Aussie pubbed
authors (Cathryn Hein & Karly Lane) and Kylie Griffin (USA pubbed). There were also some fun moments when we talked about erotic romance, erotica and true love!

Queens of Heart author panel

Thanks to Shelleyrae (volunteer) and Danielle & Debbie, the staff at Taree Regional library, who helped
organise this event - the evening was a wonderful event!

Thursday, 23 May 2013

Thank you
to the DarkSiders for having me here, today, even though I write mostly
speculative and paranormal fiction for Younger readers, and very rarely hint at
romance. I have written science fiction (Dear Tiger, Rocky to the Rescue),
fantasy (Assassin, Not), contemporary ‘reality’ with a twist (Long
Hair, Tag Man One, The Dog’s Way), science-fiction-fantasy blend (Spit),
and contemporary reality with no twist (Legacy of Dreams, All Alone).

People ask
me why I write for a younger audience, and what they need to do in order to write
successfully for that age group. Over the years, I’ve come up with the
following tips, or rules:

The first rule is DON’T WRITE DOWN: No one likes being talked down to,
or having it all explained as if they are too stupid to work it out for
themselves. Just write the story. Write to entertain. Youngers are *young*;
they’re not morons, and they’re far from stupid. Don’t treat them as either.

Secondly: LEAVE OUT THE LECTURE: A story should never be a lecture.
Sure, you might have some points you want to get across, but you’re a story
teller first, and, for that, the story MUST come first. You’re not there to
preach, or ram a few good points down anyone’s throat. You’re there to tell a story.
The hardest hurdle to get over when I started in this genre was to get my head
around this simple point. Editors wanted stories ‘with meaning’, stories that
‘had a moral’ or ‘a point’, or they wanted it to be wrapped in humour, or ‘e:
all of the above’. Forget that. Write the story. If Youngers are your audience,
then write a story they’ll enjoy, just the same as you would, if you were
writing a story for an adult audience.

Third: FORGET THE MARKET: Think of the story you want to
write and the audience you want to write it for. Some might think that a story
that doesn’t ‘fit’ a market isn’t worth writing, or that the audience *is* the
market, but this isn’t the case. What a publisher asks for isn’t necessarily
what the audience wants to read. The story is king, and, as with every other
genre, you can stifle it by trying to make it fit into a box (or set of
guidelines) it was never made to go in. Worse, it can make it very difficult to
write anything. Remember, you can independently publish. If a publisher doesn’t
want to take a chance on your work because the content doesn’t match their
perception of the market OR because your work simply doesn’t suit the style and
flavour of the lines they have established, don’t try to jam your story into a
shape it was never meant to be. Chances are it won’t be worth reading, or it
will come across as forced.

Fourth: KEEP IT SIMPLE: And I don’t mean the story; I mean
the sentence structure and words. Remember, Youngers don’t have the word
experience of an adult (although a few would give the “grown-ups” a run for
their money). In terms of writing for Youngers this means keeping the following
in mind:

The
nuts and bolts of your work need to have a simple but clear structure.

Shorter
sentences work best, but varying the length of sentences is still important for
a smooth flow.

Use
words that don’t require a PhD to understand (another good rule that applies to
books for Olders).

·Use
words Youngers are likely to encounter in everyday life, over words they’re
going to need a dictionary or an Older for. Every time your reader has to stop
and check something out, they are pulled out of your story. You don’t want
this, no matter what age you write for.

Fifth: SUBJECT SUITABILITY: Yes, I know I said the story is
king, but you are writing for Youngers. Some stories are best told to an older
age group. If you wouldn’t talk about it to your own children, or you wouldn’t
feel comfortable reading it out loud to a Younger audience with an adult
(teacher, parent, person off the street) looking over your shoulder, then you
might want to re-think who you are writing for: perhaps, that story is not a
Younger tale, but something for the Olders. Having said all that, you can see
that some of the subjects I write about touch on “issues” such as being in a
wheelchair and losing your original hopes and dreams (Legacy of Dreams), being
away from your parents and not fitting in (Dear Tiger), and some are mostly
story with only a little bit of controversy, such as law enforcement and gun
control in a semi-war setting (Spit), or facing down fear to save
your family and move house (Rocky to the Rescue).

Sixth: RELINQUISH REALITY: Okay, not all of reality, just a
little bit—just enough for your story to live and breathe. It’s like writing a
story where the world isn’t quite what it seems, where the unlikely *can*
reasonably happen. For instance, where you can use your hair as an effective
weapon in karate (Long Hair), or a Younger can climb into the cockpit of the
latest fighter jet and fly it away from a bunch of bad guys trying to steal it
(Tag
Man One). You’re telling a story. Always remember that.

Now get out
there and write.

And all the
best of luck

Carlie

Bio: Carlie Simonsen has independently published
eight chapter books for Youngers, with the ninth, The Dog’s Way, about to be
released, and another three to follow that. She started writing in the genre in
response to a number of publisher calls for submissions. Unfortunately, she
soon learned she couldn’t write ‘funny’ to save herself, and took the hint from
a few good-hearted editors that her work just wasn’t going to ‘fit’ an
established market, although they encouraged her to keep trying. The result is
a number of quirky stories that entertain while touching on issues such as
children left alone after a supermarket bombing (All Alone), bullying
in—and out of—the playground (The Dog’s Way and Yard
Boss—both soon to be released), pursuing the most unlikely dreams
through hard work and effort (Long Hair), and doing the right
thing even when it means change (Assassin, Not).

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

This fortnight, I'd like to present the lovely Eleanor Maine with A
Bite Of…A Gargoyle for the Hotel Gothica.

Can you, in less than five words
describe your book?

Paranormal urban romance, gargoyles, fey

What inspired you to write it?

I think it was
in 2009 that a small on-line publisher ran a contest called the Scottish
Nocturnal contest, and I badly wanted to write something for it. I had spent
the past two years trying to get my head around the romance genre well enough
to write it. The theme of a Scottish hero who was also a creature of the night appealed
to me, so I thought I’d give it a go.

The first snag I
hit was that I didn’t want to write about vampires or werewolves. There were a
lot of stories featuring them, and I couldn’t think of an approach that
satisfied me. I wanted something different—and gargoyles adorned many Scottish
cathedrals… so gargoyles it was.

The second snag
was that I wasn’t familiar with Scotland and its landmarks, and I had to think
of a way to bring it to more familiar territory. The opening chapter was the
result.

And here's the excerpt....

The
crate had been loaded with care, its contents cushioned by foam, and iron bands
shrunk to fit so it didn’t burst open. It had been packed in a shipping
container and hauled down from the highlands on the back of a monster truck
driven by a driver who should have been certified insane long ago. Its contents
had been auctioned before being packed back into the crate and loaded onto a
ship in Greenock.

Since
then, the crate had travelled three oceans and rounded the Cape. It had skirted
the southern reaches of the world’s largest island and come to rest in that
island’s only island state. The crew of the freighter, Hinchinbrook, was glad
to see the back of it.

It
wasn’t that there was anything particularly sinister about the crate—it was a
normal shipping container, painted a bright reddish-orange and labeled in white
with the firm’s logo,just like all the
others. Unlike all the others, however, there were some in the crew who claimed
they only had to walk past the thing for it to give them the creeps… and there
were some as whispered that something moved within.

Others
claimed the wind moaned more loudly when they stood in close proximity, and a
few even claimed that the wind moaned when they stood right next to it and
there was no wind at all. More than one hinted at seeing a look of relief cross
the lorry driver’s face as the thing was unloaded from his truck.

Claire
Handley knew nothing of these rumors as she watched it being unloaded at
Hobart’s docks—and she wouldn’t have cared if she had. She didn’t have time for
such things. The Hotel Gothica, her Hotel Gothica, was due to open in less than
a week, and the gargoyle was the last thing that needed to be fitted before the
hotel’s inauguration. It would form the perfect finish to the guest entrance in
what had once been Saint David’s Cathedral.

Claire
had kept her promise of keeping the main area of the cathedral open to the
public. The stained-glass windows and vaulted ceiling provided the perfect
backdrop for the Gothica Café, and she had reserved a portion as a chapel,
using long tubs of carefully pruned and trellised citrus trees to form a living
wall around it. Smaller tubs, containing sweetly-scented lavender, formed a low
border around the trees, and the two-tiered arrangement gave privacy to any who
might need it.

Velvet-covered
benches, flanked by statues or more greenery, and iron-work chairs and tables
were scattered around the remainder of the hotel’s ground floor to provide
people with nooks in which they could settle to wait for loved ones or guests,
or stations from which to admire the windows—and all around the place were
gargoyles, some hanging from pillars, others hiding beneath benches, and still
others peering out from beside potted plants. It was no longer a church, but
Claire hoped it was still a place where people could find solace and solitude.

The
benches, statuary and greenery had been set aside to provide a clear path for
the crate and its contents to follow, and Claire watched as the workmen began
unpacking the creature she’d fallen in love with in Scotland.

Perhaps
‘fallen in love’ was too strong a term, but she could think of none better to
describe the feelings of pride and affection she felt for the beautiful
carving. Yes, it was a gargoyle, and, no, it wasn’t exactly pretty, but it
showed superb craftsmanship and elegant lines. Claire suppressed a flutter at
the memory of some of those lines.

The
corded muscles of its forelimbs stretched into well-muscled shoulders, and the
large hands that would rest on the lintel over the door leading to the registry
and hotel lifts and stairs were curiously human, in spite of the half-extended
claws sprouting from their fingertips.

Claire
sighed. Whoever had modeled for the
creature, had possessed a fine chest as well… and abs, very nice abs… and the
back below the wings. You could run your fingers along those muscle lines for
ever… She shook her head, trying to shake her thoughts in a more
businesslike direction. It’s only a
statue for heaven’s sake!

Leaving
the workmen to their task, she decided to visit the kitchens of Café Gothica
for a coffee. Matthias, the café’s lessee would probably be in, going over his
preparations for opening night, and he would want to tell Claire how they were
progressing. Revising Matthias’s plans in her head, Claire turned away from the
workmen. As she did so, she noticed a figure standing at the entrance to the
cathedral, a visitor far too early for opening night.

“I’m
sorry, but we’re closed,” she said, moving to intercept it. “We don’t open
until…” She hesitated, recognizing who it was.

“I know when you open,” the man sneered,
“but I wanted to see where you would be putting my inheritance.”

Many thanks for sharing Eleanor!

If you'd like to find out more about Eleanor Maine and her books, click on the following weeks. Enjoy your Wednesday!

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Imogene Nix has sold A Strangers Arms to Total-E-Bound. It's the sequel to Blame The Wine.

CONTESTS

Kylie Griffin'sVengeance Born is a finalist in the Greater Detroit RWA 2013 Booksellers Best Award in the Paranormal/Time Travel/Futuristic & the Best First Book sections. Results announced at the BBA Reception on July 17 following the RWAmerica Literacy Signing.

BOOK COVERS & RELEASE DATES

Alexis Fleming's new release, Hidden Fire, will be out in e-book format from Escape Publishing on June 1st.

An Australian-set paranormal drawing on the Aboriginal Dreamtime in a hot, suspenseful series debut.Gili Adams is willing to do anything to protect her parents, even travel to Australia in search of the mythical opal, the Dreamtime Fire. But her resolve is tested when she has to enlist the help of anthropologist Morgan Hunt, the Guardian of the opal and the man who once accused her of using her feminine wiles to steal a priceless artefact. She’s faced with an impossible choice: lie to the man she never wanted to lose or risk her parents’ lives.Nothing can be allowed to stand in her way... not even her own heart.

FREE READS

Erica Hayes is giving away a free story to all of her newsletter subscribers! Cherry Kisses is an 11K urban fantasy novella set in her Shadowfae universe.

Sexy con-artist Lena Falco isn't a witch, not technically. She uses her cache of stolen magic tricks to seduce and bedazzle her marks. When she's hired by a demon to steal a cursed magical amulet from a monstrous tower in Hell, it's her lucky day. The prize? A single wish—whatever she wants.

The catch? There's competition: Ethan Benford, swordsman and enchanter, arrogant, maddeningly sexy and the only incorruptible man in town.

Lena's been burned by Ethan's easy charm before, and vows he'll meet his match this time. But is ultimate power worth betraying the only man who truly believes in her?

REVIEWS

Flesh by Kylie Scott has received a TOP PICK from Night Owl Reviews!

"Nothing is black and white anymore, and what
was the norm has to be forgotten to survive. But Daniel will protect
Ali with all he has, because she’s his future. When he and Ali run into
Finn, another survivor with enviable skills, he’s brought into their
couple. All the way in. See, monogamy kind of has to go the way of the
dinosaur if the human race is to survive. An original and awesome read
that was harsh, romantic, funny and graphic."

"Heart of Iron, the follow-up installment to Bec McMaster’s debut onto the steampunk scene is Kiss of Steel’s
equal in all things except Verwulfen which means… this book’s even
better than the last! Because, let’s face it, werewolves make everything
better! Am I right? In this novel, McMaster further expands upon her
already colossal universe, transforms two beloved secondary characters
into praiseworthy protagonists and weaves a deliciously entertaining
tale that’ll keep you reading until there’s nothing left."

Rabid Reviews also gave a 5 paw rating to Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster.

"From the very first page of Kiss of Steel I was swept away by Bec
McMaster’s lovely writing style; her three dimensional characters,
stunning dialogues and surreal universe are so brilliantly executed that
I’m giving this book a 5+ star rating.This is a story about vampires but McMaster does such a brilliant job of
claiming them as her own that they almost felt new again. There are
three different subgroups to the vamps in her lore and I really enjoyed
the way that we get glimpses into each of their lifestyles."

Friday, 17 May 2013

Welcome to What We Are Reading in May! This month seems to be all about favorite reads. The books you go back to time after time.

For me it’s Daggerspell. Rhodry was my first literary crush, I think was about 14 (and I wouldn't discover romance novels for another 12 years). I know it's not a romance, but there is romantic elements as well as past lives, magic and elves.

Imogene NixMackenzies Mountain by Linda Howard. This is one of my go-to books when I want something incredibly well written, emotive and just need to "read" for the sake of reading books. Gee, I hope that makes sense.

First released in 2000, there's something totally amazing about this incredibly sensual half celt half native american man falling for the quintessential old maid school teacher, Miss Mary Potter. Wolf and Mary just burn up the pages as they fight against discrimination on the grounds of a false accusation and imprisonment for rape, a small town with an us and them mentality and a boy/man who thinks Wolf killed his father due to misunderstandings made worse by his mother's bitterness and his learning disability.
Seriously, this one is on my keeper shelf... and falling apart. :)

Then because I'm in a Linda Howard mood, I'm rereading Kiss and Tell. Another gutsy woman who has to deal with secrets, half truths and people making snap judgements. I love this one too. Again, it's on my keeper shelf. It's a 2003 release... maybe a little dated, but I love the writing and visuals.

Jenny Schwartz
I've also been on a re-reading binge. If you haven't discovered Ilona Andrews, you really should try her stories. Silver Shark is a novella that gives you a sense of her style.

Thursday, 16 May 2013

Iron Man 3 is blazing its way across the cinema screens right now, on track to break the billion dollar barrier soon. I can’t wait to see it – because I want to see more of the romance between Tony and his ever-patient Pepper, and because what I love about Iron Man is that his superpower comes from science.

So today I’m declaring Magic Thursday is Science Thursday!

I’ve had futuristic science on my mind lately. I’m busy revising a futuristic romance and my upcoming release, DARKEST BEFORE DAWN, is a post-apocalyptic science fiction romance (both are set right here Down Under!) I was hoping to have a cover and maybe a release date for Darkest Before Dawn to share…but we’ll all have to wait just a little bit longer.

What I love about writing science fiction stories is inventing all the cool things I wish I had right now to make life a little easier.

Source: I Love Butter

I’m about to get on a plane with my 2 year old for a 14 hour flight (help!) Bring on the supersonic jet or better yet a transporter! Imagine stepping into a transporter in Australia and stepping out seconds later in Africa! Brilliant.

I’d also love a phone-ereader-tablet-laptop combo device. One I can scale up or down in size as needed (check out my Sync device in my sci-fi romance, WINTER FUSION, for more info!)

These days we hear a lot about space tourism (want a book a ticket on Sir Richard Branson’s VIRGIN GALACTIC?) I’d love to visit space one day, look down on our planet and get up close and personal with the moon. I confess, I spend a fair bit of time thinking about spaceships: fast rust-buckets like the Millennium Falcon, cozy rust-buckets like Serenity and old warships like the Galactica.

Her latest novella, SOUL STEALER, is out now. You can find her novella, TIME THIEF on sale for only 99c and stay tuned for her sci-fi romance, DARKEST BEFORE DAWN, coming soon.

She just wants her life back. After being kidnapped and forced to kill by a vicious crime lord, Cate Hartmann is now a killer with an addiction to stealing souls. On the island sanctuary of Haven, surrounded by other anomalies with secret abilities, she fights to recover. But only one man calms the dark storm inside and makes her believe she can be whole again…Dr. Gage Walker.

Scientist Gage Walker has spent a decade helping anomalies. But every day, he’s haunted by his previous job for the CIA—where he crossed far too many boundaries and hurt so many anomalies. Including his brother. He vows he won’t fail again and will do everything he can to heal Cate—including fighting his attraction to her.

But when the crime lord comes after Cate again, it’s a race against time to find out why he wants her. Amidst the danger, Gage and Cate drawn to each other, even as they fear that one wrong step will send her hurtling back into the depths of her soul stealing addiction.

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

If you haven't noticed, the Dark Side DownUnder has a new logo - something that reflects the gamut of genres our Aussie & New Zealander authors write. The design was created by the uber-talented Eleni Konstantine!

SALES

Maggie Mundy has received a contract for her manuscript, World Change, from Rogue Phoenix Press. Congratulations!

NEW RELEASES & COVERS

Cheryse Durrant has received her new cover for The Blood She Betrayed, the first in her Heart Hunters series, being published by Clan Destine Press. The e-book will be launched in July 2013 and the paperback in August 2013.

To save her kingdom...
Thrust into the technology-driven Earthlands via magical mists, Shahkara is forced to rely on Max McCalden to help search for the ancient Elnara death lantern, her homeworld's last chance of survival against the heart-devouring Taloners.
Max has his own problems – a manipulative billionaire father, a murdered brother – but nothing prepares him for this fugitive warrior’s razor-sharp talons and magical abilities....she must betray her blood
Shahkara’s half-Taloner blood demands what she knows she can’t have – a human heart. She longs for love, but as deadly enemies attack at every turn, will her lust for Max destroy them both? Or will she find the strength to free both worlds from a threat more horrific than the demons that share her blood?

Ruby's Ghost is Shona Husk's latest book from Samhain, out today!

Breaking up is hard to survive.
One moment, Tate Cooper is giving his ex-girlfriend a lift home on his motorcycle. The next, his soul is suspended between life and death, wandering in confusion between the accident scene and the house he grew up in.
Except it’s not his home anymore. In his old bedroom sleeps a beautiful young woman, the only person who can see him. And the only person who can keep him from succumbing to the temptation to escape the horrific pain awaiting him in his mortal body.
Eloise Jones should be studying for her college exams, but it’s tough to stay focused when a lost soul keeps appearing in her room. She figures it must have something to do with sirens she heard screaming in the night, but she’s helpless to assist—and helpless to resist.
As Eloise tries to help Tate unravel the tangled facts surrounding the accident, longing and desire grow into an almost tangible bond between them. But then a second spirit appears, one with a darker intent that could separate them before love draws its first breath…
Warning: Contains a vengeful ex and a romance that crosses the boundary between life and death

REVIEWS

Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster received 4.5 stars from That's What I'm Talking About.

"Heart of Iron is a suspenseful tale of political maneuvering among the classes with a paranormal twist that ups the ante...Although the suspense makes Heart of Iron a thrilling read, it’s the budding romance between Lena and Will that make this book such a wonderful story...Ms. McMaster was able to convey
every emotional moment with such clarity that I laughed and cried right
along side the characters."

"HEART OF IRON is an engrossing, thrilling sequel to KISS OF STEEL. If
you liked KISS OF STEEL, you'll love HEART OF IRON because it has all of
the elements that made KISS OF STEEL a strong debut, with even more
world-building, intrigue, and steam."